Combine onion, garlic, vinegar and soy sauce in a bowl. Pour over the duck or chicken pieces and let chicken marinate for one hour.

When ready to cook, heat oil in a large casserole. Remove duck or chicken from marinade (reserve the marinade) and cook in the hot oil just until brown, turning once. Spoon off excess oil from the pan, if any.

Pour in the reserved marinade and season with salt. Simmer until almost tender, around 20 minutes. Add the coconut cream and bay leaves and simmer for another 15 minutes or until duck or chicken is fully cooked and tender.

If desired, add the bell pepper strips and chili pepper during last five minutes of cooking. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Cook’s tips:

*If using the canned variety, make sure you use coconut cream, which is thick, and not coconut milk, which is thin and watery (check labels). Stir the coconut cream well before using.

*If using fresh gata, use the first pressing of squeezed coconut meat.